Experian Marketing Services' CheetahMail Empowers Consumers with the Launch of New Facebook Functionality

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian Marketing Services, a global marketing leader and provider of targeting and engagement technologies, today announced the release of a new wave of social media integration tools to Experian CheetahMail's email marketing technology. The addition of this technology to CheetahMail's existing digital tool kit, including social media and mobile-friendly functionality embedded within the CheetahMail application, provides clients with stronger and easy-to-execute viral marketing opportunities. Progressive businesses already leveraging the technology include Urban Outfitters and Neiman Marcus brands.

Using Facebook's open Application Programming Interface (API), CheetahMail's clients can now insert Facebook "Like" buttons in their emails using a simple tag, and subscribers can "Like" the brand, the email or specific product(s) with one click. To date, most email programs have had a two-click solution that takes subscribers to the brand's fan page, where they then can choose to "Like" the brand. This one-click process reduces the risk of customers abandoning the effort and ensures stronger interactivity with the email.

CheetahMail's Strategic Services team reports that transactional emails including links to social media sites had 55 percent higher click rates than emails without social links. CheetahMail's new functionality allows marketers to leverage both email and social media to empower customers to become brand advocates while increasing acquisition opportunities.

"The interaction between brands and consumers continues to evolve which obligates technology providers to do the same. Our latest product release presents an exciting opportunity for marketers and their customers to proactively and easily empower each other," said Rachel Bergman, general manager and senior vice president, Experian CheetahMail. "This is just another example of how we're constantly shaping our technological innovations based on client needs, progressive market trends and consumer preferences."  

About Experian CheetahMail

Experian® CheetahMail® is the trusted service provider of email marketing and customer intelligence technologies for top enterprises worldwide. With the industry's largest client services teams, feature-rich email technology and a broad range of data management options, Experian CheetahMail enables clients to build data-driven, relevant relationships with their customers. Servicing the world's most recognizable brands, Experian CheetahMail's globally diverse client base includes 1800Flowers, Barclays, Borders Books, Discovery Communications, KLM, Neiman Marcus and Wyndham Hotels. Experian CheetahMail, a business unit of Experian (LSE: EXPN), was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Madrid, Beijing and Melbourne. For more information, please visit http://www.cheetahmail.com or email [email protected].

About Experian Marketing Services

Experian Marketing Services delivers best-in-breed data, analytics and platforms into multiple regions around the globe. It is focused on helping marketers more effectively target and engage their best customers through email, digital advertising, customer data management, customer and competitive insight, data enrichment and list rental, modeling and analytics, and strategic consulting. Through these capabilities, Experian Marketing Services enables organizations to encourage brand advocacy, create measurable return on investment and significantly improve the lifetime value of their customers.

About Experian

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2010, was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Experian Marketing Services; Experian CheetahMail